Young offenders, dogs learn together

PetsConnect! and juvenile facility partner on program.

PetsConnect! and juvenile facility partner on program.

May 13, 2008|RACHEL REYNOLDS Tribune Correspondent

SOUTH BEND Across the street from a stand of trees just beginning to bud. Beyond the tall fences topped with barbed wire coils and uniformed personnel at a gate. Beside the gray-beige concrete building low to the ground with locked metal doors. A small group of boys in jumpsuits and five dogs create a suspended moment of companionship. "It's been a while since I laid in the grass," said one brown-haired teenager who reclined beside a black standard poodle in the yard and bounced a red tennis ball. It was a cloudy, overcast day with gray skies and a slight breeze. "It's been a long time since I saw a dog," said another teenager. The boys, who are housed at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility, were taking part in a special program in which rescued dogs are brought to the correctional facility each week. The boys run with the dogs, play fetch and teach them to sit, lie down and shake. It's a chance for both dogs and teenagers to heal. "For me, it's to show kids that they have importance, they matter, and they can train an animal," said Sebrina Tingley, a founder of PetsConnect!, a local volunteer organization that finds homes for shelter and rescue animals. "It shows them that they can make a difference in their world." The dogs-in-prison program is called DAYLIGHT (Dogs and Youth Learning through Insight, Guidance and Humane Training). Many of the dogs are poorly socialized or traumatized because of the situations they came out of, Tingley said. They often hide or cower from the boys when they first start the program. However, through temperament testing, leash training, taking car rides to the prison and playing with the youths, the dogs become more social and adoptable. Tingley, who holds a master's degree in divinity from the Chicago Theological Seminary and is a Quaker, said she coordinates the DAYLIGHT program primarily to help the youths. "It comes from a deep spiritual place, and I do it for the youths," she said. "I would not do it only for the dogs, because I could socialize them in different ways. My hope is that we're building a better society, a better community by having an impact on the youths. ... You never know when that one action or that one word will have a huge impact on a person." According to the Web site, the program helps youths learn, among other things, to persist when faced with setbacks, to know they are needed, to correct without anger, to realize that dogs don't care about excuses and to understand that discipline and obedience allow freedom and creativity. Tingley brings a variety of dogs to the prison each week to spend time with the handful of teenagers who participate in the training program. The dogs looked healthy and playful while running with the boys recently, although Tingley said that the dogs are often shy when they first begin the program. Many of the animals were mistreated, abandoned or legally removed from damaging environments. "The poodles and cocker spaniels were an absolute mess," said Tingley. "They had to be shaved. Our groomer had to get her blades sharpened because they were so matted. One Irish setter had protruding bones. "Often we do pull these dogs off the euthanasia table." On this day, two black standard poodles named Jean Claude and Van Damme, a black cocker spaniel named BB, a beige cocker spaniel named Blondie, and a silver-gray Weimaraner named Duke visited the boys. "Hey, that dog's eyes are cool," said a teenager who pointed out Duke's pale, translucent eyes. For this article, the boys, who are minors, could not be identified by name because of confidentiality rules at the prison. Another boy kept trying to rename BB. He felt Blaze was a more fitting name for a black cocker spaniel. While playing in the grass and giving the dog treats for following instructions, the teenagers laughed often. The boys threw balls for the dogs to chase as well as tossing some other toys including a yellow, green and blue stuffed parrot that squawked and a blue fuzzy bone. "It's them (teenagers) learning a lot about themselves and the animals and what they can do together," said Tingley. "They learn confidence, patience and to be flexible ... it's also a wonderful experience for the dogs. They get to meet new people and socialize." Beverly Williams, program director of operations at the prison, helps coordinate the dog program. She was friendly and warm and encouraged the teens to teach the animals. Williams passed on some written questions to the boys to be used for this article. When asked why they enjoy spending time with the dogs, one boy wrote: "It makes me feel better." Another answered: "Because it gets me out of myself and helps me to become more humble." When asked what the dogs had taught them, one boy wrote: "That you have to be patient." Another answered: "How to have fun." When asked if they felt this was an appropriate program for a prison, a boy wrote: "Yes, I do because it gives the people in jails the chance to have fun and take their mind off of the time they have to do." Another boy added: "Yes. It teaches self worth." PetsConnect!, an all-volunteer organization, keeps animals until permanent homes are found. For more information, call or (574) 282-1225 or go to the Web site www.petsconnect.org.